Silver Creek (Harney County, Oregon) Explained

Silver Creek
Map Size:300
Pushpin Map:USA Oregon
Pushpin Map Size:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the mouth of Silver Creek in Oregon
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Oregon
Subdivision Type4:County
Subdivision Name4:Harney
Length:87miles[1]
Source1:Blue Mountains
Source1 Location:near Snow Mountain between Burns and Paulina in, Harney County, Oregon
Source1 Coordinates:43.9411°N -119.5569°W[2]
Source1 Elevation:5830feet[3]
Mouth:Harney Lake
Mouth Location:downstream of Riley, Harney County, Oregon
Mouth Coordinates:43.2631°N -119.1892°W
Mouth Elevation:4101feet
Basin Size:1670sqmi[4]

Silver Creek is an 870NaN0 stream of Oregon which drains a portion of the endorheic Harney Basin to Harney Lake. Arising in the Blue Mountains, it flows generally southeast, although much of the stream is intermittent. The Silver Creek Volcanic Field is associated with the creek's watershed.[5]

Course

From its headwaters in the southern Blue Mountains, Silver Creek flows south through the Ochoco National Forest[6] and is fed by tributaries and, at the base of the mountains, large springs feed the creek. The creek meanders through a broad alluvial plain[7] and turns southeast near Chickahominy Reservoir, traveling through the unincorporated community of Riley, where it is crossed by Highway 20 and Highway 395, respectively.[6] Past Riley Silver Creek flows through a canyon with 200to tall walls made of volcanic basalt.[7] The creek is impounded several miles downstream, forming Moon Reservoir.[6] It then splits into two streams; one portion heads southwest into the usually dry Silver Lake, while the other portion flows southeast through Warm Springs Valley into the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and finally Harney Lake.[6]

Flora and fauna

The upper regions of the Silver Creek watershed are forested; the most common plant species are coniferous, including Ponderosa Pine, White Fir, Douglas-fir, and Western Juniper. The lower regions are primarily desert rangelands.[8]

Fish such as Tui Chub, Speckled Dace, Redside Shiner, Mottled Sculpin, and Great Basin redband trout are native to Silver Creek and its tributaries. Others, including rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch were introduced to the watershed by humans.[8]

Large mammals such as Deer, Elk, and Antelope have been spotted in the lower regions during winter.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: National Hydrography Dataset. United States Geological Survey. September 10, 2010.
  2. Silver Creek. 1149487. November 28, 1980. September 10, 2010.
  3. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. Web site: Boundary Descriptions and Names of Regions, Subregions, Accounting Units and Cataloging Units . United States Geological Survey. December 25, 2010.
  5. Web site: Volcanoes in America . Google cache . Altius Directory . December 25, 2010 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20101130162509/http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Science/volcanoes-in-america.php . November 30, 2010 .
  6. Benchmark Maps. Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas. 4th. 2010. 1:225,000. 77–78. 978-0-929591-62-9. 466904230. Benchmark.
  7. Book: Russel, Israel. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon. 1905. Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C.. Geological Survey Bulletin, no. 252. 4636294. 45–46. September 10, 2010.
  8. Web site: Silver Creek Subbasin Assessment. Harney County Watershed Council. Oregon State University. May 2000. September 10, 2010.